


Promises, Promises

by GeckoGirl89



Category: Friends (TV)
Genre: Angst, Awkwardness, Episode: s08e16 The One Where Joey Tells Rachel, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, Monica POV, Pining, Supportive Monica
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 12:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8327617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89
Summary: "But maybe there's something you could help me with. You're so smart, Mon, and I'm sure you know this kind of stuff. How do you change dollars to Vermont money?"(A missing scene during 8.16 TOW Joey Tells Rachel).





	

**Author's Note:**

> I felt inspired today to write the implied missing scene in this episode where Joey comes to Monica and asks her how to convert his dollars to Vermont money. I watched parts of 8.16 for a Chandler/Monica drabble recently, and I ended up catching the Joey and Ross scenes and the Monica and Ross scene. I felt so bad for Joey at the beginning of this episode when Ross freaks out at him and Joey seriously believes that Ross hates him due to his poor reaction.
> 
> This piece is similar to "Guilt He Doesn't Deserve" in that it focuses on an outside character supporting Joey through his guilt about his feelings for Rachel in season 8. Monica isn't as verbally expressive as Chandler was in that piece since she is Ross's sister (which makes this situation more uncomfortable for her) and because I picture her as a character who is more likely to show her support with actions rather than words. I decided to not include Chandler here since he was at the coffee house in the scene directly proceeding Monica's scene with Ross and because I thought it would be interesting to explore how Monica would handle this situation alone.
> 
> The title for this work makes sense once you reach the end.

Monica heard the apartment door burst open while she was dusting the television. She turned to see Joey, panting as if he had sprinted several blocks to her and Chandler's apartment. She carefully placed the duster on the coffee table.

"What's up, Joey?"

Joey lowered his eyes and nervously fidgeted with his sleeve. _That's not like him._ "Is uh, is Chandler here?"

Monica walked over to him and attempted to peer at his face. "I think he's at Central Perk. Is there something I can help you with?"

Joey _still_ refused to look at her. _Odd._ "It's kind of, y'know, guy stuff." He paused for a moment and then lifted his eyes to look at her. His face was filled with a desperate, wild hope. "But maybe there's something you could help me with. You're so smart, Mon, and I'm sure you know this kind of stuff. How do you change dollars to Vermont money?"

Monica squinted in bafflement. It wasn't the first time she couldn't understand Joey's nonsensical train of thought. "Vermont money?"

"I need to leave the country, as soon as possible. Of course, I'll still write to you and Chandler and Phoebe, if the international postage isn't too much." Joey exhaled and furrowed his brown in concern. "Do you think it will be too much?" 

Monica bit her tongue to avoid correcting Joey's error about Vermont. That really wasn't important, and Joey was clearly freaking out about something if he wanted to leave the country. She pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and nudged Joey to sit. "Sit down, and I'll get you a glass of water." Joey complied, and Monica went to the fridge to pull out the pitcher of filtered water. "Why do you need to leave the country, anyway?"

"I don't know if I can tell you. Maybe when I get to Vermont." 

Monica lowered the glass that she just pulled out of the cabinet to the counter and turned to face Joey with an exasperated glare. "Joey! Come on! Tell me!"

Joey darted his eyes back and forth, clearly on the verge of telling her. After a few seconds of Monica's glare, Joey easily cracked under the pressure. "I told Ross how I feel about Rachel!" He smacked his head on the table.

"You WHAT?!"

"God, why does everyone have to yell at me today?! First Ross, then Gunther, now you!" Joey banged his head against the table. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Monica rushed over to Joey and put her hand on his shoulder. "Joey, stop that!" Monica sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you," she said softly. "But why would you tell Ross?"

She could barely hear Joey's words, muffled as they were into the surface of the table. "The stuff he said before made me think it would be okay, so I told him. You know how much I hate keeping secrets. Now, Ross is gonna hate me forever. God, I can be so _dumb_ sometimes!"

Monica sank into the chair next to Joey, preparing herself for a long conversation. "I'm sure Ross doesn't hate you. Tell me exactly what happened."

Joey lifted his head and played with his fingers as he told his story. "So, I ran into Ross at the coffee shop today and he said Mona just dumped him. And I said that must have really hurt, it being Valentine's Day, and all." Joey glanced at Monica, and she nodded to show that she was following along. She was curious about the Mona thing, but decided to ask Ross about it later rather than interrupt Joey's tale. Joey quickly returned his gaze to his fidgeting hands. "I guess what I said reminded him that I was at the coffee house on Valentine's Day, and he asked if I was having girl trouble and I kind of admitted that I was. I _tried_ to get out of telling him, but Ross kept insisting and it would have seemed weirder if I didn't say anything. So, I pretty much told him everything, but I pretended like Rachel and Ross were people from work. Then Ross said I should talk to the guy from work, and he was acting so nice and encouraging about it. He started to leave, and it just... slipped out, I guess. I don't know, maybe holding it in for so long got to me, and after what Ross said, for a second I thought it wouldn't ruin everything." Joey pressed his hands to his eyes. "Stupid of me, I know."

Monica reached over to gently touch Joey's arm. "It's not stupid at all, sweetie." Monica knew her brother would _never_ react well to the idea of Joey having feelings for Rachel, but she could see how someone as naive and trusting as Joey could believe so after Ross's reassurances. She cleared her throat. "How did he take it?"

"Kind of like you did just now," Joey replied. "There was a lot of shouting."

"Well, maybe he was just shocked. This whole thing _is_ kind of unexpected."

Joey shook his head. "Nah. He got louder, not like you. I tried to calm him down, but it didn't work. I said it wasn't a big deal, but he didn't believe me. I guess I must have said too much about thinking about her all the time and not being able to sleep, because he definitely noticed. He was really angry, and he brought up the baby." Joey sighed as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "I told him I knew it was wrong and nothing was gonna happen, but he was so mad I don't even think he heard me. He stormed out before I could say anything else."

Monica winced as Joey recounted Ross's reaction. Ross always stormed out whenever an argument turned truly serious, and he had stormed out on Joey even though their conversation wasn't an argument at all.

"I don't know what to do," Joey said, with the saddest tone of voice Monica had ever heard him use. "Ross hates me, and I'll have to move to Vermont. I knew this would happen. I can't believe I'm gonna lose him over this."

Monica didn't want Joey to lose Ross over this situation either. As Ross's sister, Joey's feelings for Rachel were an awkward topic for Monica, but she knew Joey hadn't actually done anything wrong. She quickly settled on a plan. "I think I should go talk to Ross. Maybe I'll be able to get through to him."

"If you think that would help." Joey sounded extremely doubtful.

Monica smiled weakly. "I'm sure it will." She briskly made her way to the wall near the coat rack and snatched her house keys from the designated hook where she kept them. She turned to Joey, who still looked depressed, and projected confidence she didn't actually possess. "Everything's going to be okay, Joey. Ross doesn't hate you."

Joey looked at her with pleading puppy dog eyes. "You promise?"

Monica nodded, willing herself to believe it too. "I promise. Don't leave the country before I get back, okay?"

"I won't," Joey answered. She knew he would keep his promise.

As Monica left her apartment and crossed the street to her brother's building, she hoped that she would be able to keep her promise to Joey. That would depend on Ross.


End file.
